A system and methods for enabling a user to create a list of items on a portable computing device, to communicate with external devices to locate each of the items available on the list within a geographically limited area, to provide users with visual or aural cues as to the location of items on the list, to progress through the list of items as each item is selected or rejected, and providing discounts toward, information about, or alternatives to the available items on the list.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for enabling a user to locate and select one or more items within a geographic area from a list, comprising: a computer system including a database of items within the geographic area, the database of items including one or more available items determined based on availability information of the one or more items, the computer system further including a location within the geographic area for each of the one or more available items; and an input/output system providing communication between the computer system and a portable computer containing the list, the computer system receiving the list from the portable computer through the input/output system and indicating to the portable computer a location of a first available item among the one or more available items and a location of one or more additional available items among the one or more available items, the portable computer indicating to the user the location of the first available item and indicating to the user the location of the one or more additional available items once a status state for one or more previous available items on the list has been received from the user.
2. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the portable computer includes a display and wherein the location of the first available item and the location of the one or more additional available items are indicated on a map depicted on the display.
3. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area, and wherein the location of the first available item and the location of the one or more additional available items are based on the position of the portable computer.
4. The system recited in claim 3 , wherein the portable computer includes a GPS device for identifying the position of the portable computer.
5. The system recited in claim 3 , wherein the portable computer communicates with a plurality of remote transmitter/receivers distributed throughout the geographic area to identify the position of the portable computer.
6. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the status state includes a selected state and a rejected state.
7. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more additional available items have an order, wherein the order is based on the location of the first available item or one or more prior items among the one or more additional available items.
8. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, and wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer.
9. The system recited in claim 8 , wherein the additional information includes a price for the one or more items.
10. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer, wherein the additional information includes a price for one or more items selected by the user among the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer develops a running cost total based on the price of the one or more items selected by the user and a quantity of the one or more items selected by the user.
11. The system recited in claim 10 , further comprising a check-out system receiving the running cost total and payment information from the portable computer and processing the payment information based on the running cost total.
12. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area, wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, and wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer based on the position of the portable computer.
13. The system recited in claim 12 , wherein the additional information includes one or more of incentive information and advertising information for at least one of the one or more items.
14. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the geographic area is a retail store, and wherein the portable computer is affixed to a cart.
15. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location, wherein the computer system obtains the seat location from the portable computer, and wherein the one or more available items are near the seat location.
16. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location, wherein the computer system obtains the seat location from the portable computer, and wherein one or more available items selected by the user among the one or more available items are delivered to the user at the seat location.
17. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein the geographic area is a shopping mall.
18. A portable selection system for enabling a user to locate and select one or more items from a list, comprising a portable computer including a memory for storing the list, a display for displaying the list to the user, a processor, and an input/output system for communicating with a computer system including a database of items, the portable computer sending the list to the computer system and receiving from the computer system a location for each of one or more available items among the one or more items on the list, the one or more available items determined based on availability information of the one or more items on the list, the portable computer indicating to the user a location of a first available item on the list and indicating to the user a location of one or more additional available items on the list once a status state for one or more previous available items on the list has been received from the user.
19. The portable selection system recited in claim 18 , wherein the location of the first available item and the location of the one or more additional available items are indicated on a map depicted on the display.
20. The portable selection system recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more additional available items have an order in which the one or more additional available items are shown on the map and the order is based on a physical location of the one or more additional available items within a geographic area depicted on the map and a position of the portable computer within the geographic area.
21. The portable selection system recited in claim 20 , wherein the portable computer further includes a GPS device for identifying the position of the portable computer.
22. The portable selection system recited in claim 20 , wherein the portable computer communicates with a plurality of remote transmitter/receivers distributed throughout the geographic area to identify the position of the portable computer.
23. The portable selection system recited in claim 18 , wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within a geographic area.
24. The portable selection system recited in claim 23 , wherein the geographic area is at least one retail store.
25. The portable selection system recited in claim 24 , wherein the portable computer is affixed to a cart associated with the at least one retail store.
26. The portable selection system recited in claim 23 , wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location.
27. The portable selection system recited in claim 23 , wherein the geographic area is a shopping mall.
28. The portable selection system recited in claim 18 , wherein the status state includes a selected state and a rejected state.
29. The portable selection system recited in claim 18 , wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer receives the additional information from the computer system.
30. The portable selection system recited in claim 29 , wherein said additional information includes a price for the one or more items.
31. The portable selection system recited in claim 29 , wherein the additional information includes a price for one or more items selected by the user among the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer develops a running cost total based on the price of the one or more items selected by the user and a quantity of the one or more items selected by the user.
32. The portable selection system recited in claim 31 , wherein the portable computer sends the running cost total to a check-out system.
33. The portable selection system recited in claim 32 , wherein the portable computer includes payment information that the portable computer sends to the check-out system.
34. The portable selection system recited in claim 29 , wherein the additional information includes alternative information for at least one of the one or more available items.
35. The portable selection system recited in claim 29 , wherein the additional information includes incentive information for at least one of the one or more available items.
36. The portable selection system recited in claim 29 , wherein the additional information includes advertising information for at least one of the one or more available items.
37. A system for enabling a user to locate and select one or more items within a geographic area from a list, comprising: a computer system including a database of items within the geographic area, the database of items including the one or more items, the computer system further including a location within the geographic area for each of the one or more items; and an input/output system providing communication between the computer system and a portable computer containing the list, the computer system receiving the list from the portable computer through the input/output system and indicating to the portable computer a location of a first item among the one or more items and a location of one or more additional items among the one or more items, the portable computer indicating to the user the location of the first item and indicating to the user the location of the one or more additional items once a status state for one or more previous items on the list has been received from the user.
38. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the portable computer includes a display and wherein the location of the first item and the location of the one or more additional items are indicated on a map depicted on the display.
39. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area, and wherein the location of the first item and the location of the one or more additional items are based on the position of the portable computer.
40. The system recited in claim 39 , wherein the portable computer includes a GPS device for identifying the position of the portable computer.
41. The system recited in claim 39 , wherein the portable computer communicates with a plurality of remote transmitter/receivers distributed throughout the geographic area to identify the position of the portable computer.
42. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the status state includes a selected state and a rejected state.
43. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the one or more additional items have an order, wherein the order is based on the location of the first item or one or more prior items among the one or more additional items.
44. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, and wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer.
45. The system recited in claim 44 , wherein the additional information includes a price for the one or more items.
46. The system recited in claim 44 , wherein the additional information includes alternative information for at least one of the one or more items.
47. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer, wherein the additional information includes a price for one or more items selected by the user among the one or more items, and wherein the portable computer develops a running cost total based on the price of the one or more items selected by the user and a quantity of the one or more items selected by the user.
48. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the portable computer identifies a position of the portable computer within the geographic area, wherein the database includes additional information corresponding to the one or more items, wherein the computer system sends the additional information to the portable computer based on the position of the portable computer, and wherein the additional information includes one or more of incentive information and advertising information for at least one of the one or more items.
49. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the geographic area is a retail store, and wherein the portable computer is affixed to a cart.
50. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location, wherein the computer system obtains the seat location from the portable computer, and wherein one or more items selected by the user among the one or more items are delivered to the user at the seat location.
51. The system recited in claim 37 , wherein the geographic area is a location where the user is assigned a seat location, wherein the computer system obtains the seat location from the portable computer, and wherein the one or more items are near the seat location.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 7, 2010
March 13, 2012
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